Support for soap bars



1962 P. A. MEARS 3,048,938

SUPPORT FOR SOAP BARS Filed Jan. 31, 1961 INVENTOR fale/w? IQ /%='4&$

BY @MM/ United States Patent Office dfi idfi Patented Aug. 14, 19623,048,938 SUPPORT FOR SOAP BARS Portia A. Meats, Bloomington, End. (39Chiekering Road, Dedham, Mass.) Filed Jan. 31, 1961, Ser. No. 86,094 3tjlairns. (Cl. 45-28) This invention relates generally to soapreceptacles and more particularly to an improved support for bars ofsoap.

Various types of soap receptacles, such as dishes, racks, and supports,are known in the art, and these are usually characterized by one or moreobjectionable fea tures. Among these features are an unsightlyappearance, inherent or due to dissolved soap drippings, whichnecessitates frequent and diflicult cleaning of the receptacle and ofthe supporting wash basin, etc.; a tendency of the bar of soap to adhereto the receptacle because of the dissolved drippings making it diflicultas well as distasteful to pick up the bar of soap and, where thereceptacle is not a part of or anchored to the wash basin, wall, etc.,often resulting in accidental dropping of the receptacle withinconvenience to the user and possible damage to the receptacle; and adesign or construction which is extremely wasteful of soap in thatunnecessary dissolving of the bar is effected by contact with wet and/or unabsorbent surfaces.

Accordingly, the main object of the present invention is to provide animproved soap support which will obviate the above and otherobjectionable features.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improvedsoap support which may be placed on convenient surfaces of wash basins,etc., without danger of dislodgement therefrom and to which a used barof soap will not adhere because of drippage.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide animproved soap support which is moisture absorbent and eliminates soapwastage from drippage or dissolving.

A still further important object of the present invention is to providean improved soap support which is moisture absorbent but which isreadily and easily washed to maintain a sanitary and neat appearance.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide animproved soap support which will be attractive in appearance,susceptible of ready and economical manufacture, wear-resistant, and oflong life in use.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent during the course of the following description.

In its broadest aspects, the invention contemplates a support for soapbars comprising a washable envelope having a lower, supporting surfaceof flexible material which has a ooefiicient of friction such as toprevent slipping on or dislodgement from the surface of a wash basin,etc.; an upper soap-bar supporting surface of flexible, absorbentmaterial, and an intermediate layer of flexible, absorbent materialconfined between the two outer layers by stitching, etc., theirperipheral edges.

In the drawings I have shown several embodiments of the invention. Inthese showings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one form of the support for soap barscomprising the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof to an enlarged scale,taken on the line 22 of "FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 3, 4, and 5 are perspective views to a reduced scale of anotherform of the invention wherein the outer layers are formed of a singlesheet of material, showing one method of making the support; and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view, partially broken away and to an enlargedscale of a further form of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, numeral It) designates the support for soapbars as a whole which comprises a lower supporting surface 12, an uppersupporting surface 14- upon which a bar of soap is placed, and anintermediate insert or layer 16 confined between the outer layers thatform the surfaces 12 and M by means of peripheral stitching 18.

The lower layer 12 is formed of a sheet of flexible, washable materialwhose surface has such a coefiicient of friction as not to slip or slidewhen positioned on the surface of a wash basin, etc. Examples of suchsubstantially non-slip surface materials are rubber, foam rubber,rubberized fabrics, some woven materials, and such napped materials ashave good wearing qualities.

The upper layer 14 is formed of a sheet of flexible, washable materialof any desired color which is highly absorbent to remove the drippingsand dissolved soap from a just-used bar thereof, and of good wearingcharacteristics. Examples of such materials are napped and 'unnappedwoven fabrics of natural and synthetic fibers, toweling such as terrycloth, etc.

The intermediate layer 16 is an absorbent layer which also furnishesbody to the soap support 1% as a whole. Materials of the type used inthe upper layer 14 may be used in the intermediate layer with greaterabsorbent capacity and body being attained by using severalpliespreferably joined together--of the material to form the singleintermediate layer 16 which is preferably of greater thickness than theouter layers 12 and 1 Other preferred materials for use as theintermediate layer are spronge rubber, foam rubber and polyfoarn insheet or shredded form.

In the illustration of the soap bar support of FIG- URES 1 and 2, thelower layer 12 of the envelope is formed of a durable sheet of rubber,the upper layer 14 is formed of terry cloth and the intermediate layeris formed of a sheet of foam rubber or polyfoam of substantially greaterthickness than the upper and lower layers which have greater length andwidth so as to confine the layer 16 therebetween when their peripheraledges are stitched as at 18 or otherwise united.

It will be readily apparent that the rubber sheet 12 will preventdislodgement of the soap bar holder 10 from a supporting surface such asthe side or top of a wash basin and that a wet bar of soap placed on theabsorbent upper layer 14 will not undergo any further surfacedissolvingas would be the case if placed on a wet area. The layer 14 not onlyabsorbs the soap drippings but also becomes rapidly and completely drybecause of the wick action of the material.

It is to be noted that any soap bar drippings in excess of the amountresulting in the wetting of the upper layer 14, will pass therethroughand be absorbed by the intermediate layer 16 which, because of its addedthickness, has a greater absorbing capacity and, in effect, assumes agreater part of the burden of absorbing the soap drippings. As a result,the upper layer 14 of the soap bar support It? retains its attractiveappearance over extended periods of usage before becoming unsightly. Thesoap drippings may then be removed to restore the original attractiveappearance of the support It by simply placing it in a washing machine.

Instead of the three separate and different layers i2, 14 and 16 whichare united by the external stitching 18 as shown in FIGURES l and 2, theupper and lower layers may be formed of the same material when itembodies both non-slip and absorbent characteristics. An example of suchmaterial is terry cloth as illustrated in FiGURES 35.

It has been found that an optimum size for the soap bar support as usedin the home is about 3 by 4- inches. Thus a sheet of terry cloth 19 ofslightly more than 6 by 4 n3 inches (to allow for stitching or othersecuring of the peripheral edges, FIGURE 3) may be folded as at 20 andstitched as at 22 to form an envelope 11 open only at the end 24.

An intermediate absorbent layer 26 of the types described i nowcentrally positioned on top of the envelope formed as shown in FIGURE 4,and the envelope is turned inside out, whereupon the layer 26 assumesits intermediate concealed position as shown in FIGURE 5. The end 24- isnow folded within the envelope and stitched as was earlier done at 22.

Depending on the nature of the absorbent intermediate layer, it may bedesirable to stitch or otherwise secure it to one or both of the upperand lower layers to prevent movement or matting of the intermediatelayer with re spect thereto when the flexible support is placed in awashing machine for laundering and removal of the soap drippings.

Such movement can be prevented by peripheral stitching orcross-stitching the flexible support 13 as at 28 as shown in FTGURE 6.In this form of the invention, the intermediate absorbent layer 39 isformed of scrap or shredded foam rubber, and it will be apparent thatthe lines of stitching 23 separate the envelope 1-1 into fourcompartments so that the separated portions of the layer 36? cannot lumpor mat up.

It is to be understood that the forms of my invention herewith shown anddescribed are to be taken as preferred example of the same and thatvarious changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departure from the spirit of the invention or thescope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A flexible support for holding and drying wet bars of soap on a washbasin, etc. without drainage of water or soap thereon comprising, incombination, an envelope including a lower supporting layer of materialhaving a non-slip surface, an upper soap-bar-receiving layer ofabsorbent material for absorbing moisture and soap drippings from a soapbar to etfect drying of the bar, and an intermediate layer of absorbentmaterial to receive unabsorbed moisture and drippings from said upperlayer, the adjacent material of said intermediate and upper layershaving a wick action returning the absorbed moisture for evaporation tothe upper surface of the support to eifect drying thereof, the edges ofsaid upper and lower layers being united to confine said intermediatelayer within the envelope, the material of each of said layers beingflexible and washable to enable the removal of dried dirt and soaptherefrom.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said intermediate layer isof greater thickness than said upper and lower layers to increase itsabsorbing capacity and to add body to the support.

3. The combination recited in claim 2 wherein said intermediate layercomprises a plurality of integrated plies of material.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,660,729 Strock Feb. 28, 1928 1,756,713 Vernet Apr. 29, 1930 2,886,916Rossi May 19, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 453,737 France June 14, 1913 473,359Great Britain Oct. 12, 1937

